Chapter Twenty-Two #3
“We still don’t regret telling you,” Urien said. “Even if the Council punishes us and we never see you or each other again. You deserved to know why we were pursuing you and what we were offering. Anything less would have been dishonest.”
“That’s…” Sam’s voice cracked, and he realized he was close to tears again. “That’s incredibly stupid and romantic, and I don’t know how to feel about it.”
“Feel however you need to feel,” Mabon said. “We’ll wait.”
These three are going to be the death of me. Three powerful beings tried to court him, and when that didn’t work, they revealed their true nature, even though they knew it could cost them everything. “Tell me more,” Sam said finally. “Tell me everything. I want to understand what I’m choosing.”
Clearly, that was the right thing to say, if the relief on Rux’s face was any indication.
But they did talk. They told him about dragon childhood, about hatching from eggs into small, clumsy creatures who took decades to master flight. And then about the first time they’d shifted into human form, and how strange it felt having only two legs and no wings.
They told him about the bond between triad members, how Mabon, Urien, and Rux could sense each other’s emotions, communicate wordlessly across distances, and share strength when one of them was injured or weak.
They explained about hoards and territories, and the way dragons felt compelled to protect what was theirs, and to defend their chosen spaces with force that many would think unreasonable, but for a dragon, it was instinct.
They told him about Treasures - how rare they were, how precious, and how most triads went centuries without finding one. How some never found one at all.
“There are only about two hundred dragons left in the world,” Mabon said quietly. “Maybe fewer. We don’t reproduce quickly, and we’ve lost so many to wars, human expansion, and the simple fact that finding a fated mate is nearly impossible when the population is scattered across the world.”
“Treasures are our hope,” Urien added. “Our continuation as a species. Without them, we’ll eventually fade entirely.”
“So there is pressure,” Sam said slowly. “On Treasures, to bond, to have children, to…”
“No.” Rux’s voice was sharp. “The bond doesn’t work if a Treasure isn’t willing. The magic requires willing acceptance from all parties. Anything else is just...” He waved a hand. “Wrong.”
“But you’d want children,” Sam said. “Eventually.”
The three of them exchanged glances.
“We’d want to build a life with you,” Mabon said carefully. “However that looks. If it includes children, if you want them, we’d be honored. If you don’t, we’d still be complete.”
“We’d have you,” Urien said simply. “That’s enough.”
“I’m just really worried about what if I’m terrible at being a Treasure? What if I don’t know how to…what if I can’t be what you need?”
“That’s impossible.” Rux leaned forward. “You already are what we need just by existing.”
“I work in a coffee shop,” Sam said helplessly. “I know I keep saying that, but I’m not…I don’t know how to be important to anyone, since my mom died.”
“You’re important to us.” Mabon’s voice was steady. “You’ve been important to us since the moment Rux saw you and his heart stone appeared. Everything you are, everything you do, it all matters. You matter, Sam. Completely and absolutely.”
“Did I mention this all sounds so crazy?” After a rollercoaster of an evening, Sam didn’t know if he wanted to laugh or cry.
“Yes,” all three agreed.
“I need time to process.” Sam knew he had to take the time to think. “What you’re saying, what you’re offering, is everything I’ve written about because it’s what I wanted too. But I always believed those stories were fiction, but now I know you’re real. It makes it all a bit overwhelming.”
“Take all the time you need,” Mabon said immediately.
“But keep talking to us,” Rux added. “Please. Ask questions, spend time with us, and let us show you what this could be.”
“And if you decide it’s too much,” Urien said quietly, “if you choose the life you have now - we’ll respect that. We’ll leave you alone if that’s what you want. We’ll find a way to live with it.”
“Even though it would destroy you,” Sam said, remembering Rux’s earlier words.
“We’re not going to deny that, but yes, even then.”
Looking down at his empty plate, Sam thought about the food made with such care.
He remembered all the gifts he’d been given with no expectation of anything at all, and how three dragons had fumbled their way through human courtship with no idea what they were doing, but they did it because they believed Sam was worth it.
The parallels with his novel – a novel he was writing because he didn’t believe the fantasy was real but wanted it to be – seemed almost laughable now.
“Okay,” Sam said finally. “I’m not promising anything. But I want to understand this, and I want to get to know you all better. The dragons, the men, and everything in between.”
Three faces lit up with identical expressions of hope.
“And maybe,” Sam added, his voice barely above a whisper, “maybe I want to see if this could work and if I can be what you think I am.”
“You already are,” three voices said in perfect unison.
That’s going to take some getting used to.